This is the first in this batch of ink reviews, which will focus on the Cult Pens Deep Dark series. This review is for Cult Pens Deep Dark Blue ink.

The Cult Pens Deep Dark series of inks are manufactured by Diamine in the UK – even if this wasn’t mentioned on the Cult Pens Website it would be obvious for the bottle and box which are exactly the same as those described in the review of Diamine Crimson ink. No surprise either that Cult Pens is the sole supplier of these inks, hence the direct link. For the avoidance of doubt, I bought the inks, they were not supplied for the purposes of this review. They all cost a shade under £6.00, the typical price for standard 80ml bottles of Diamine inks, so I would class these as low priced.

The only differences between the standard Diamine 80ml bottle and this example relate to the labeling. The normal front label has been replaced with a bespoke one showing the name of the ink. The Diamine logo is also present. There’s an additional label on the back of the bottle (not present on standard inks) which gives the volume of ink. the country of origin, a link to the Cult Pens website and the slogan “The write stuff”. Both of these labels look like small shipping labels, which may have been printed and added later, and haven’t been tailored to the arched side of the bottle, unlike the standard Diamine labels. The silver label on the cap which is normally the only indication of the ink in the bottle is missing in this case, although there is one on the box. This is inconsistent across the series – some have one or the other, neither or both. The label on the box obviously makes it possible to determine which ink it is without opening the box.

The test pen in this case was the Pilot MR Silver with a medium nib.

Cult Pens Deep Dark Blue showed negligible water resistance, leaving a few faint blue lines when held under running water, and lines were obliterated by water droplets. Cleaning was very easy, and the drying time was around a minute (the longest for this series of inks).

Rhodia Dot Pad No 16

The ink looks almost black in this scan – it’s only in the lighter shading that the blue colour can be seen. I wrote that that the blue looks “steely” but to clarify I mean that it’s reminiscent of the range of blue colours produced by tempering.

By Zaereth – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19914298

The Cult Pens website also indicates that the ink has hints of purple, which I can see now it’s been pointed it out, but possibly wouldn’t have otherwise.

Ryman Memo Block 9cm x 9cm

Barely a hint of blue left in this scan.

Yellow Post-It

Interestingly the yellow seems to bring out the contrasting purple here.

Field Notes – Pitch Black

The spread brings out the blue here.

Mnemosyne Word Card

Very dark here, and there’s even a reddish sheen towards the bottom of the swab. This didn’t appear in any of the writings samples though. It would be interesting the try this ink with a very wet pen to see if it does appear in normal use, but the drying time could then be an issue.

Cult Pens Deep Dark Blue – Conclusion

I do like this ink and it’s one of my preferred blue-blacks. Despite my comments in the Rhodia Dot Pad sample, this ink does hold some surprises regarding the colour, but on different papers ranging from almost black (with a red sheen), dark grey to purplish blue. The ink itself is a good performer overall, albeit with the slightly longer drying time, and to use my stock phrase again – more water resistance would be welcome.

Cult Pens Deep Dark Blue

Cult Pens Deep Dark Blue - Close Up

Cult Pens (Diamine) Deep Dark Blue - Word Card

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We are finally here. This is the first in a batch of eight ink reviews for the Diamine 150th Anniversary inks, in this case for 1864 Blue Black.

This is my first review of a Diamine ink, despite the fact that I own more of their inks than from any other manufacturer (including Noodler’s). It was even a Diamine ink that helped to restart my interest in fountain pens (but that’s a story for another time). So why has it taken so long to start reviewing Diamine inks? Since the are UK inks, and I live in the UK, perhaps it’s an element of “familiarity breeds contempt”, but that seems a bit harsh. Maybe it did take the release of the 150th Anniversary inks to give that extra spur to stimulate a review.

The inks were released to celebrate the founding of the Diamine company in 1864, and the Blue Black is unique in the set by including “1864” in the otherwise purely descriptive name.

The ink cost £7.75 (including VAT), for a 40ml bottle, from a UK supplier. This is more than twice the price of standard Diamine inks (which typically retail for less than £6.00 for an 80ml bottle). I would therefore consider this ink to be moderately priced.

The box is far more busy that the typical industrial Diamine box, with lots of coloured ink spots on both sides and a nice design on the back. The underside of the box credits the design to inkymole.com. On the front of the box is a sticker giving the name of the ink in white with a close approximation of the colour as the background. It was only when writing this review that I realised it was a sticker, and even then only because it had been stuck just outside the guides. I have one minor gripe about the box – because it contains a bottle that is shaped like a slice of cake or cheese a small piece of cardboard with bubble wrap has been inserted to keep the bottle in place. While this works, it doesn’t stop the box from deforming, increasing the wear and tear on the box over time. It’s a bit clunky and detracts a little from the obvious care that has gone into the outward appearance of the box.

The bottle, as stated before, is shaped like a cheese or cake segment, so all eight bottles can form a circle. I imagine almost everyone who has bought all eight bottle has tried that. The plastic bottle cap is the usual Diamine standard – I initially thought it must be smaller, but it isn’t. The neck of the bottle is also quite narrow (which is my only criticism of the standard Diamine bottle). The label repeats the ink spots, the design from the back of the box, along with the name of the ink on the background of the same colour.

As I’ve indicated before I’m not a great fan of ostentatious boxes and boxes, and I’m glad that Diamine resisted the temptation to go too far in this case.

The test pen on this occasion was a black Pilot MR with a medium nib.

The ink showed no water resistance and text was obliterated by water drops. Cleaning was very easy – which was a bit of a surprise considering that the pen had been inked for several weeks. Drying time was around 30 seconds on Rhodia paper.

Rhodia Dot Pad No 16

This is my first review using a new pre-printed template to improve the layout and to make it less likely that I will forget something important. I have taken this opportunity to lose “Nib Creep” which is a factor that’s never really been important to me and I’ve found difficult to assess in the past.

The ink performed generally very well on this paper, but there is once important issue – the ink still smudges easily even when dry. Maybe this is linked to the lack of water resistance and the ease of cleaning. The test pen is quite wet and the deep saturation actually makes the ink look almost black, with only a hint of blue.

Ryman Memo Block 9cm x 9cm

Still generally good performance, but the ink still smudges.

Yellow Post-It

Okay performance, but even smudges here.

Field Notes – Pitch Black

On this more absorbent paper the ink didn’t smudge, but it looks like ink has transferred from other writing samples done as part of the same batch.

Mnemosyne Word Card

It’s only really on the Word Card that the blue comes through.

Conclusion

When doing the writing samples I really liked this ink, although in the test pen it came out as more black with a hint of blue rather than a blue black. It’s only when i came to write up this review, and I handled the writing samples again, that it became clear just what an issue the smudging could be. Although the deeply saturated colour is attractive, it’s not enough the counterbalance the smudging, so I wouldn’t use this ink for note-taking on a good quality paper – it could end up everywhere. Considering how easily the ink smudges, just from the moisture on my hands, it’s now less of a surprise that the pen was so easy to clean. I may try it again in a drier pen, possibly with a finer nib, to see if that makes a difference, but for the time being it’s not a candidate for my usual rotation, which is a shame.

Diamine 150th Anniversary 1864 Blue Black - Word Card

Diamine 150th Anniversary 1864 Blue Black

Diamine 150th Anniversary 1864 Blue Black - Close Up

Diamine 150th Anniversary 1864 Blue Black - Word Card

The post Diamine 150th Anniversary 1864 Blue Black Ink Review appeared first on Stationary Journey.

The fourth in this batch of reviews is for Kaweco Midnight Blue ink.

This ink was supplied free of charge by Kaweco. I was not paid to write the review, which is my honest assessment of the ink, and is not influenced by the fact it was supplied free of charge.

All the comments that I made regarding the bottle, box and cost of the ink in my Kaweco Pearl Black Ink Review apply to this case too, so I shall not repeat them here. The only differences are that the front label states the colour of the ink, and the front and top labels have white text on what I can best describe as greyish-blue or a dark lavender.

The test pen in this case was a Pilot Metropolitan Violet Leopard with a medium nib.

The ink showed minimal water resistance under running water, leaving only a faint grey line behind. Water drops obliterated any text. Cleaning was easy.

The drying time was relatively quick at around 20 seconds.

Rhodia Dot Pad No 16

In normal writing the flow was okay but a little on the dry side. I only experienced real issues when drawing lines for the water test – then the ink couldn’t keep up. I like the colour (which is good for a blue-black).

Ryman Memo Block 9cm x 9cm

Better flow on this paper – maybe it has a bit more “tooth”.

Yellow Post-It

Considering flow can be an issue on Post-Its, this ink performed okay.

Field Notes – Pitch Black

Despite the feathering and bleed the results were acceptable.

Mnemosyne Word Card

Although more blue than the label, I would still describe this as a dark lavender colour, and the swab also demonstrates that the name was well-chosen.

An updated image of the Word Card is here:

Conclusion

From previous reviews it will come as no great surprise that blue-black inks are not my favourite, but I do like this one. It’s probably down to the unusual dark lavender colour. The only issue is restricted flow under certain circumstances so it is perhaps better suited to a wet nib. Otherwise, once again it’s a premium quality ink, with a price to match, which does not disappoint.

Kaweco Midnight Blue - Word Card

Kaweco Midnight Blue - Close Up

Kaweco Midnight Blue

Kaweco Midnight Blue - Word Card

The post Kaweco Midnight Blue Ink Review appeared first on Stationary Journey.

The last in this series of ink reviews (and the third in the trio of fast drying inks) is for Noodler’s Q’E-ternity.

Just the title of this review presented me with a problem. What is the correct way to spell the name of the ink? Some ink names are inconsistent and I would normally refer to the label on the bottle in the first instance, but in this case it isn’t there. Is it on the box? No – only a few symbols ($& the a third one I can’t make out). What about the Noodler’s website? It’s given as “Q’E-ternity” – excellent, but there is an embedded YouTube video immediately below and in the title it’s spelt “Q-E’ternity” (the dash and the apostrophe are swapped). On the Goulet Pen Company website it’s given as “Q’ternity” (the first “E” is lost), while on the Pure Pens website (from where this ink was bought) it’s given as “Q.E’ternity” (we now have a period). Does this really matter? Beyond affecting how the slug for this page is formatted, of course not. In the end I’ve settled with the version on the Noodler’s website, simply on the grounds that if it was wrong it could have been changed easily. Moving on.

The label is an altered version of the US 100,000 dollar bill, featuring President Woodrow Wilson. This is another satire on US monetary policy, and Quantitative Easing in particular. As with the other inks in this trio, I’m not going to dwell on this, save to provide a link to the relevant YouTube video featured on the Noodler’s website:

Back to the ink itself, which cost £10 for a 3oz bottle, which I would class a low cost. The 3oz bottle and box are the usual types.

The test pen was a yellow Pilot Prera, with a medium nib.

The black component of the ink showed some water resistance, leaving a grey line. The blue component washed away. Water drops obscured any text. Cleaning was easy.

The dry time in this instance was around 20 seconds – still not instant, but fast compared to my usual tests.

Rhodia Dot Pad No 16

The ink performed well, and since blue-black inks don’t rank highly on my list of preferred inks the fact that this one leans more to blue is not a problem to me.

Ryman Memo Block 9cm x 9cm

Still a good experience and no feathering that I could see.

Yellow Post-It

Now we have some feathering but overall it’s still okay.

Field Notes – Pitch Black

Despite the feathering and bleed, this is still okay.

Mnemosyne Word Card

Yes, I know I’ve been inconsistent with the spelling – but that’s what I thought it was when I labelled it. There is feathering on the top edge, but unlike Bernanke Blue this didn’t carry through onto other papers (except Field Notes).

Conclusion

Overall I found this to be a good performing ink and I like the colour – mainly because it doesn’t look like a typical blue-black to me. I will be using it again.

The post Noodler’s Q’E-ternity Ink Review appeared first on Stationary Journey.

The third in this batch of ink reviews is for a blue-black ink which I understand is exclusive to Pure Pens in the UK.

This batch of reviews is for two trios of the staple inks – black, blue and blue-black. Blue-black inks are not amongst my favourites, and strictly speaking the slot should have been taken by Noodler’s Blue Black, but I aleady had a bottle of Prime of the Commons Blue-Black and didn’t feel an overwhelming temptation to but another bottle of blue-black ink just for this batch of reviews. No doubt the completist in me will take me back to that ink one day.

As mentioned above, this ink is exclusive to one supplier in the UK. The label states that the ink is a “Security Contract Ink”, and features what appears to be an imaginary conversation between two UK parliamentary rivals of the 18th Century, William Ewart Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli. I had assumed that the term “Prime of the Commons” was another term for the Prime Minister (an office which both politicians held) – however a quick search revealed only articles mentioning this ink. So if the term has any historical significance I couldn’t find it. If any readers know differently please feel free to post a comment – I would welcome it.

The ink cost £12.50 direct from the UK, which I would consider to be a low price, considering that is for a 3oz bottle (full to the brim as usual). The box is the standard black and white line art.

The test pen was a Pilot MR White Tiger with a medium nib.

Water resistance was high with minimal colour run. Cleaning was more of a challenge – with some stubborn clots which were hard to get out of the feed. This was after several weeks but in marked contracts with Noodler’s Blue, which has been in it’s pen for the same length of time. I would recommend good pen hygiene with this ink. Dry time on Rhodia paper was quick at around 20 seconds.

One security feature of this ink is that it turns blue when exposed to bleach. I did try this out, and while there was a change it was not much as I expected. I doubt is would be obvious unless the bleached sample were to be compared to untreated ink.

Rhodia Dot Pad No 16

Overall performance was satisfactory, and once dry the greenish tint seemed less pronounced (or at least more attractive on a second look).

Ryman Memo Block 9cm x 9cm

Similar to Rhodia, but with a bit more spreading.

Yellow Post-It

Feathering and spreading – not great.

Field Notes – Pitch Black

Not as much feathering as expected, but spreads and bleeds, so not great overall.

Mnemosyne Word Card

This looks a little on the dark side compared the the actual writing samples.

Conclusion

The results for this ink are mixed. On better papers the results are okay, but I’m still in two minds about the colour. The quick drying and water resistance are bonuses. On more challenging papers the results are poor. Perhaps for signing cheques or contracts this would be a good ink, but let’s face it those aren’t daily tasks any more, and I don’t think it would be a good idea to keep a pen inked up on the off-chance that it may come in useful one day. I can only really recommend this ink if you like the colour and are likely to use it on a daily basis on good paper.

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